A public apology from CM Punk during the Night of Champions kickoff event in Riyadh on Friday has become a significant point of discussion, with subsequent reports offering conflicting accounts on whether the moment was orchestrated by WWE.
The incident occurred when Punk, initially met with boos from the crowd, was confronted by a fan in the front row regarding a controversial tweet from several years ago. In the now-deleted post, which was directed at The Miz, Punk wrote, “Go sck a blood money-covered dk in Saudi Arabia, you fking dork”*.
Addressing the fan, who identified himself as Mohammed, and the wider audience, Punk offered a direct apology.
“Hey, listen, legitimately had nothing to do with Saudi Arabia. I woke up and I was crabby and I wrote a mean tweet to The Miz. And I apologized to The Miz,” Punk stated. “And sir, what’s your name? Mohammed? Mohammed, I sincerely apologize to you. And I love Saudi Arabia.”
Following the statement, the crowd’s reaction shifted to loud cheers.
The nature of the segment, however, quickly came under scrutiny. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that the interaction was “planted” by WWE, suggesting a deliberate effort to have Punk make the apology. In contrast, a report from Fightful Select on June 29 stated that WWE staff they spoke with claimed to have no indication that the segment was a plant.
During the post-show press conference, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H framed the apology as a moment of significant personal development for Punk.
“I was privileged to watch him grow as a human being, to step out here and apologize to the people of Saudi, to just cherish where he is at in life and his career,” Triple H remarked. “And I was incredibly proud of him.”
The following night, CM Punk competed in the main event of Night of Champions, where he was defeated by John Cena in a match for the WWE Undisputed Championship.